Man Dies of Tetanus

July 16, 1889: A man dies of tetanus and railroad employees are suspected of raping two passengers.

Bullets Fly When Men Try to Kill Mule

July 10, 1889: Two men trying to shoot a sick mule nearly kill a neighbor. The mule had glanders, an incurable disease passed in public watering troughs, so they shot it five times. One of the bullets almost hit Mrs. Maria Ybarra.

Devout Family Trusts Diphtheria Patient to Prayer

July 6, 1889: The father of a diphtheria victim tells The Times, "if the Lord could not save his child it was no use to trust in doctors."

Fireworks Injuries

July 5, 1899: The Times tallies the injuries caused by Fourth of July fireworks ... and in Fullerton, a Mexican named Gonzales is beaten for spitting on the flag.

City's Mortality Rate

July 3, 1889: Health Officer MacGowan says 63 people died in June. The leading cause was consumption.

Summer Wardrobe

July 2, 1899: It's too hot in the summertime to wear a heavy truss.

Street Sweeping -- Cut to Save Money -- Resumes

June 30, 1899: The city will resume sweeping streets after a two-month suspension to cut expenses.

Peculiar Insanity

June 28, 1889: The Times pays a call on Mrs. Elizabeth Severet, who is ailing and a bit crazy. Upon later examination, her mind was clear and she said she planned to live with relatives in Baltimore.

Dog Attacks Actress -- Koufax Sets Record

June 23, 1959: "Hello, Young Lady."

Elaine Stewart said she was watching TV at the home of tenant Floyd Appel when his dog bit her on the lip. In 1963, she was awarded $4,500 in damages. At left, Irene Dunne is one of the few celebrities at Ethel Barrymore's funeral. Richard Nixon lives from paycheck to paycheck, according to "Richard Nixon: A Political and Personal Portrait" by Earl Mazo.

Democrats draft a plan to avoid a walkout by Southern delegates at the 1960 presidential convention, to be held in Los Angeles.  Four white men are sentenced to life in prison for raping a black coed.  Scientists say paint and solvents contribute to smog.   Fallout from a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union would not make the human race extinct, a Defense Department scientist says. But half of the homes in the U.S. would be badly damaged.

Maybe there's a reason Detroit didn't take imported cars seriously. Chavez Ravine update.   Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood on water skis! Chuck Courtney?

Sandy Koufax tied a team record and set an obscure major league record with 16 strikeouts in a 6-2 victory over the Phillies at the Coliseum. Koufax had a shot at the major league and National League records but failed to strike anyone out in the ninth. He settled for the most strikeouts in a night game and a share of the Dodger record, which according to The Times' Frank Finch was set in 1909. Only 10,290 fans attended the game. -- Keith Thursby

Ailing Lou Gehrig Retires From Baseball

"Quiet, Stupid! ... Yeow!"

The state Senate approves a bill that would license bookies and take 5% of their gross. I wonder what the lobbying was like on this bill. A Ford executive says industry voluntarily reduced the workweek to 40 hours. "The charges that these improvements were made at the insistence of a morally outraged society is not tenable."   Talk about fuel economy: 23 mpg. Maybe I'm an overprotective parent, but I really wouldn't want my kid doing this.

Maybe more than any other era, I find the artwork -- and lettering -- in the 1930s ads just remarkable. I recently listened to a program on Winston Churchill. He certainly had a knack with words that put everybody in their place. Especially "Corporal Hitler." The Times begins a contest on movie titles. I'll try to run some of the entries.

Above, a stylish ad for "The Old Dark House" and "My Man Godfrey." At left, a feature on the arrival of Michael Farrow, born to John Farrow and Maureen O'Sullivan.

Another elegant, stylish ad, this one for Harris & Frank. Re-creating the early days of California. Moral Rearmament! The cat ate a watch?

Lou Gehrig's career was over. The Yankees slugger, whose skills had seemed mysteriously in decline, was diagnosed with what was then called infantile paralysis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is an incurable ailment that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Gehrig, who had played in 2,130 consecutive games with the Yankees and took himself out of the lineup in May, died in 1941. The Times ran an Associated Press story with a horrible lead: "The 'Iron Horse' was consigned to the baseball roundhouse today -- to stay." The Yankees tried to be optimistic about Gehrig's recovery, discussing a post-baseball job with the Yankees "in some executive capacity." The next day, The Times ran a short story on plans for a day in Gehrig's honor. Here's footage from the event. -- Keith Thursby Update: Keith is on vacation so I'll pinch hit for him. The Times' original story indeed says Lou Gehrig had "infantile paralysis." Later stories also say he had "infantile paralysis" or "a form of infantile paralysis." His June 3, 1941,  obituary says he died of "a rare disease" called "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." --lrh